


Strays

by Aryagraceling



Series: Strays A/B/O Universe [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AKA the one where I shred canon completely, Alpha Shiranui Genma, Alpha Umino Iruka, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Asexual Hatake Kakashi, Forced Pregnancy, Intersex Omegas, M/M, Miscarriage, Multi, Non-sexual heat/rut, Omega Hatake Kakashi, Omega Hoshigaki Kisame, Omega Momochi Zabuza, Past Rape/Non-con, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-08-24 19:43:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16646501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryagraceling/pseuds/Aryagraceling
Summary: Momochi Zabuza was an omega of Kirigakure, forced into their breeding program at a very young age.Hoshigaki Kisame was fated the same.When things came to a head, they never thought they'd find a life outside the facility. They barely thought they'd make it to the limits of the Land of Water. They did not expect to find a home in Konoha, and they did not expect to find a caring alpha in one Umino Iruka.





	1. Animal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rarepairsinmycup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarepairsinmycup/gifts).



> Said MagnusTesla: You should do some Iruka/Kisame smut
> 
> Said LittleTortillaDaddy: Hear me out...what if we made it a threesome...with ABO dynamics...
> 
> And in true writerly fashion, we created an entire world around a teeny, tiny prompt. There will be crack pairings made absolutely serious. There will be an entirely different world from what I created in Wake the White Wolf. There will be pain. There will be hearbreak. There will be beauty. 
> 
> It will be a journey. 
> 
> Due to the nature of Kirigakure brutality there will be some triggering content. I will tag in tags and clarify in chapter notes (tags will be updated as I write, and I am in no way promising any sort of consistent update schedule for this). 
> 
> And even though LittleTortillaDaddy told me I could say what I want about her in the AN, I'll just say thanks for being there, and thanks for building with me ❤️

_ **Kirigakure, seven years ago _

“Push.” The nurse pursed her lips and looked down at Zabuza’s hair plastered on his forehead as his brow knit with the pain of another contraction. His hand clamped down on the bed rail and he  _ cried  _ as he felt the child move forward. “Let’s go, omega. We’ve got another after you.”

He very nearly reached a hand out to grab her neck when she bent down near his face. “Mizukage won’t care if I take a fucking--” he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, the tang of iron a welcome somewhat-distraction from the labor-- “life. Not if I’m replacing one, right?” His hand inched toward her before he clenched it, nails digging half-moons into his palm.

Tayuya had warned him.

Three, she’d had. 

Three children for the sake of  _ fucking  _ Kiri, and now she’d never have another.

Omegas were never provided medicine, painkillers…

Why would an animal need assistance for something so natural? “Mizukage doesn’t give a fuck about me,” the nurse said. “Get on your hands and knees. It’ll be easier.”

“No.” Zabuza slapped her hands away but they were back with the next contraction to yank him up from the bed. “No, I won’t do that, not going to-- _ NO.”  _ He would not be in that position again, would not remember the chakra strands binding his arms and legs as a nameless alpha made him scream into a gag. “Get off me!” he shouted as she manhandled him. “You’ll  _ hurt  _ it!”

“The child will be fine,” she said. “Worry about yourself.” She reached forward and he pitched to the side, smacking the crown of his head against her face before biting at her.  _ “Down,”  _ she snarled, pushing him away as she held the other hand to her face. “Fuck.” The hand smeared a little blood from where he’d managed to catch her cheek. “Be a good bitch.”

Zabuza could not speak around trying to breathe past the dizziness. On instinct, he settled his knees a little further apart and followed his body’s direction to push.  _ Inhale, exhale,  _ just as Tayuya had taught him. The room spun as the nurse called down the hall for assistance.  _ Inhale, exhale. _

He could  _ feel  _ it, feel the child crowning as he wailed into the bed, and a doctor swept in to prepare himself before instructing him through the final stages. “Another,” the bastard said as Zabuza pushed. “Another. One more. One--” he drew out the word while Zabuza panted, bracing himself on the wall-- “There we go.” Three words, and the emptiness inside of him broke the dam holding back everything from the last eight and a half months.

Zabuza sobbed once for himself.

Once more for Tayuya.

The rest were for the bloody bundle shoved into his arms with its genitals covered. “Tell me it’s not like me,” he said, voice cracking. “Tell me it’s going to have a better life.” The baby was beautiful, its wails reverberating from the walls as he looked down on it. “Oh gods, she was right,” he said. “You have so much h--hair. And your face.” His crumpled in the likeness of the child as he hugged it close and whispered its name.

“Time’s up,” the doctor said, and the nurse snatched the baby from Zabuza’s arms. “Get the omega out of here.”

He felt his stomach begin to wind again. Tayuya had told him about this too, the afterbirth-- _ ’An omega’s work is never done,’  _ she’d said, and caressed his face as he nodded in agreement with her plan. “Just another second,” he whimpered as he reached toward the empty door. “I want to hold it another second, please…”

They only sneered and told him to get it over with so he could recover quicker, and as he labored to finish he could feel the exhaustion settling in. After a while, he just laid there staring at the blank wall. Didn’t bother trying to stop the shaking in his limbs or the way his lip quivered, the tears leaking sluggishly down his cheeks as he was cleaned and sent to recovery. 

He’d heard what happened next. A few weeks of relative peace until his heats began again, and then he would be bred. Tayuya had made it through four years of the treatment before hanging herself. She’d made it through four years of being nothing more than ‘it’ to serve Kiri the way an omega was meant.

Omegas were for children.

Nothing else.

Tayuya’s empty cot called to him when he was deposited back into their room. It had been three weeks since he fell asleep to her singing a goodbye over him and his distended stomach, her hands cool over his heated skin. She’d called him family that night.  _ ‘You, me, and little Haku in there,’  _ she’d whispered.  _ ‘I’m sorry I can’t be with you guys for longer. Forgive me, okay?’ _

“No,” he whimpered over and over in the dark. “You left me and now Haku is gone and it hurts. Before forgiveness there needs to be blood. I will get my--our. I will get our child back.”

 

_ **Kirigakure, four and a half years ago _

Tayuya’s final replacement held none of her attitudes. He didn’t understand the way things were, didn’t understand much past continuing to insist they’d get out of this hell. “We’re going to change things,” he growled, struggling against the ropes he was bound with the first few nights.

“We’re going to get out,” he said, snapping his teeth at any doctor or nurse who dared take him away to be bred. 

“We’re stronger than this,” he muttered as the chakra blockers took their toll, wearing him down to a mere shell. Zabuza stayed quiet through it all, bore the rape and anger and wrath that had tailed him ever since he’d miscarried twice. The other omega would likely quiet at some point, give in like everyone else.

In fall, Zabuza began to think as he took the knot of another faceless alpha. The man poured into him and he wondered exactly how many different alphas had been selected for him--surely there weren’t  _ that  _ many who compared to the Demon of the Mist. Even when he was put through training to find where his strengths lay, the amount of clans with kekkei genkai was already beginning to dwindle.

There couldn’t possibly be enough alphas to match with a different one almost every cycle.

Zabuza sat with his legs drawn to his chest after each fucking and when his fertile period was over, he dutifully worked his shifts in the weapon factory in the facility. On the day he realized he wouldn’t need the period supplies in his drawer he cried. The other omega--Kisame, he said his name was--rubbed a rough hand over his shoulders as he wept at the knowledge of what was to come. “I’ve got a plan,” the shark-skinned man said. “You can help me.”

 

_ **Kirigakure, four years ago _

Six months, they’d planned for this. Zabuza’s stomach swelled and with it a small seed of hope as he stole kunai, senbon, and shuriken from the factory. The word spread through whispers and muttered insistences that every omega, regardless of pregnancies--would get out or die trying. 

“Enough is enough,” they whispered with courage sparking in their voices.

“We are more than animals,” they said as they practiced in their rooms at night.

“We are  _ through,”  _ they screamed that day as they cut through every doctor, guard, and alpha caught with their pants down.

Zabuza nearly made it out unscathed. 

The facility was understaffed, his nurse stupid enough to think he couldn’t cut her down before strangling his doctor with the same rope Tayuya had hung herself on. “Go,” he shouted down the hallway, and soon the cries of rage and pain like Kiri had never heard before filled the halls. It was the battle cry of a people beaten down for far too long, and it was beautiful in its ferocity.

He made it almost all the way to the exit before he was cornered. His lungs burned, stomach and back in pain from being forced to work harder than he should have this far along. The only reason he stopped was the smell. He recognized it, wanted it,  _ needed  _ it--he had been carrying it for six months. The shinobi in front of him snarled and pulled a weapon before he too caught the scent, snarl turning into a sneer. “Knew it’d take in one of you bitches,” he said, lunging toward Zabuza. “Shame you’re going to lose it.”

Zabuza dodged the first punch but with the child slowing him down the second caught his jaw, sending his head snapping to the side. His back hit the wall as pain burst through him from the alpha’s foot crashing into the side of his stomach. As the man kicked him again, he knew with an unwavering certainty he was right. This was it. There was no way the child would survive. 

He fell to his knees retching after the third kick, forehead slamming into the ground when the alpha planted a foot between his shoulder blades. “You’re nothing but a  _ breeder,”  _ the man spat, and the world went black when a boot collided with the side of Zabuza’s face.

When he came to, it was to the pain of contractions and a puddle of blood surrounding him. The alpha was nowhere to be found and Zabuza took the chance to crawl to the door, hauling himself up and limping away into the forest as best he could with the baby tearing him apart from the inside. 

Eventually he came to a stop near a river, letting the river wash his blood-soaked skin as he rested his forehead on the bank. Each time he miscarried, it seemed the pain lessened in favor of a wider crack opening inside of him, but this one was different. He wrapped an arm around his stomach and bore down, grunting with the force as the child shifted in him. It felt so wrong and he worried as the water sluiced around him that this was the place he would finally meet Tayuya again. 

There was no doctor to save him from a breached baby as fluids poured from him. 

Zabuza cursed the heavens while he labored. With every cry, groan, and shriek, he cursed and prayed someone would find him to put an end to the misery. “Please,” he moaned into the dirt. “Just let it end.”

“Hold his arms, Tenzou.” Zabuza’s pain-laced gaze flew up boots to a weapons pouch to silver plate armor to the mask of a dog, then to the mask of a cat. “I’ll help him.”

“Kill me,” Zabuza said. “I don’t want help, I don’t want the baby, I want to die.”

“Not today,” Cat said. 

Dog got into position behind Zabuza and sucked in a shocked breath. “He might get his wish,” he muttered. “This isn’t good. Tearing and I think I see feet.”

“Shit,” Cat cursed. Zabuza struggled weakly against his one handed grip, shame creeping in at the fact he could slaughter nearly a facility’s worth of guards but could not resist the hold of this foreign ANBU. Omega, by the smell of him--an omega who was pressing water to his lips. “Take a second and drink.”

“No,” Zabuza said. He jerked forward, away from the gloved hands settling on his lower back. “Get your hands off me.” Another contraction began, and he whimpered as one of the hands slipped lower to probe at his stretched entrance. “Stay out of there.”

“You need to let us help you,” Dog said. “We can get you safe, but--” the shinobi paused, and Zabuza felt the hand work inside of him-- “I’m not sure about your child.”

“It’s already probably dead,” Zabuza ground out against another round of pain. “They all are. They all come out dead. I’m no good.”

Cat held his face when he tried to struggle away, and Zabuza bit at him. “You are not an animal,” the ANBU said. “Please don’t do that.”

“If you’d  _ listen--”  _ Zabuza felt a pull and suddenly, the two men were the furthest thing from his mind as finally,  _ finally,  _ the child began to move. He gripped Cat’s offered hand and groaned, forcing himself through several more contractions before Dog announced he could see it, he was almost through. “I don’t want it,” Zabuza moaned. “Throw it away. It’s not mine.”

“Just a few more,” Dog said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

The second the child was gone, Zabuza faceplanted into the river. He struggled against the hands pulling him out of the water, taking away the chance to depart from this depraved world, and lay shuddering on the bank as they muttered over him and tried to fix. “Here,” Cat said softly, and Zabuza heard the clink of armor and whisper of fabric before a shirt was thrust into his arms with the tiniest amount of mottled skin peeking out. “You should hold him.”

“Him?” Zabuza finally looked up to see Dog kneeling in front of him. “It’s a...him?”

“Check and see for yourself,” Dog said. Zabuza looked back and forth from the bundle to the ANBU in confusion before Dog sighed. “You don’t have to.”

“It’s not an omega,” Zabuza said. “Is it...it’s not crying…”

“I’m so sorry,” Cat whispered from behind him. 

Zabuza clutched the bundle close as a sob ripped from his lungs. If the child couldn’t cry, he would send his voice in its stead. “Why would you tell me then,” he said. “My child is dead and you tell me to  _ look?”  _ His arms tightened when Dog reached for it. “Stay away from me,” he snapped, and the ANBU held his hands away as Zabuza buried his face in the shirt. “He was going to be better. He would have had a  _ life.  _ I should have stayed.”

“You would have died,” Cat said. “You’re lucky we were here. We’ll get you back to Konoha, okay?”

“Leave me here.” Zabuza jerked to the other side when Cat now reached for his baby, the blood and child and foreign omega smell rushing through his body and causing him to shudder as the contractions for the afterbirth began. “Leave me here to die with...him.” The word felt foreign on his tongue in regards to a child. “Him,” he said again, and then again and again until it morphed into a wordless cry of grief and anger. 

He soon found himself staring at a white wall instead of tree trunks as the two ANBU transported him to a hospital. Hands came from all sides to cover him and try to take the bundle and he just curled tighter around it, whimpering through the pain radiating from his lower body. Light and sound and hurt all blended together as he was rushed into surgery, unable to speak as he was laid out and put under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Feedback is _always_ appreciated and encouraged, be it via kudos/comments/bookmarks or through any of my social media below.
> 
> * [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sparkswithyou)  
> * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AryaGrace4)  
> * [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZkxAX9r) (or aryagraceling#4222 if you're not looking for another server)  
> * [AO3 Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951), a facebook group for all creators and readers.


	2. Adjustments

_ **Konoha, four years ago _

“Doesn’t seem to have much fight left in him.” Zabuza took in the whisper of fabric, soothing piano in his ear, and leads coming out from his body as he swam to consciousness. “I’d recommend asking what he wants but in my opinion, he’s probably better off being placed,” the voice continued. “He’s barely hanging on.”

“I don’t know if we’ve got the housing this soon after the attack,” another person said. “Though I think Kakashi and Genma were planning on giving the child up. He’s been with them long enough.”

“Let me go.” Zabuza’s voice stuck in his throat and his eyes seemed to be glued shut but he managed to pry them open to see a man and a woman looking down on him. “Let me die.”

“Do you know where you are?” the woman asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Zabuza whispered. “I don’t want to be here.”

The man above him sighed and tapped a pen on his clipboard. “How should we address you?”

“Bitch.”

“Let’s start with the basics,” the woman said. “What’s your name?”

“I said it doesn’t matter,” Zabuza said. He attempted to roll over, but the leads got in his way. A growl burst from his chest and he tried pulling them out, but the woman pressed his hands to the mattress. He was too weak to resist. “Get off me. Why didn’t your ANBU leave me like I asked? My baby…”

“We’re aware,” the man said. “If you’re not going to tell us now, at least give us the courtesy of telling the next person. We’ve got a lot of overflow and need to keep things going quickly. We’ll get you set up with a place to stay once you’re well enough to leave the hospital. We are not Kiri, we will not set you up in a facility like theirs.”

“Who are you, then?” Zabuza asked, and the woman squeezed his fingers.

“You’re in Konoha now,” she said. “You’re safe. You’re  _ home.” _

 

_ **Konoha, five weeks later _

Konoha was cruel. Zabuza didn’t think it was intentional, but putting him in a home with an alpha was bad. Putting him in a home with an omega who didn’t do much more than sitting around reading on his days off was bad. Fucking up his care because of the victims left over from the nine-tails attack was bad.

Putting him in a home with a three-month-old baby was barbaric.

Zabuza spent his days around the house, aimless now that he was stuck with no work. He spent his nights curled close to Kakashi’s side while Genma slept on the couch or in Naruto’s room. No matter how many times Kakashi insisted that Genma was a good alpha, wouldn’t touch Zabuza if he didn’t give the okay, Zabuza was terrified of him. 

Dinnertime was the worst, when he had to look at the blond across the table as he fed the child. Kakashi’s week of heat was horrible, leaving Zabuza shaking in Naruto’s room as the couple took their time in the bedroom next door. He was afraid Kakashi would go, leave him alone with an alpha just going into rut.

His fears were recognized when he himself went into heat. Kakashi had gone out for the day and so had Genma with Naruto, but Genma came home first. The shutting door woke Zabuza from a nap and the first thing he recognized was the sticky feeling of blood on his thighs. With a heavy heart and trembling fingers, he undressed as he listened to Genma put Naruto down and the groceries away. As his footsteps approached the door Zabuza swallowed down the bile rising in his throat and got on his knees, presenting in time for Genma to open the door.

“Get it over with,” he whimpered at Genma’s shocked gasp. “Kakashi’s not here to stop you. Just make it quick.”

He did not expect a blanket to be draped over his back. “Zabuza,” Genma said softly. Almost... _horrified._ “What are you expecting to happen here?”  
“It’s my duty.” Zabuza flinched away from the careful hand on his back as Genma sat next to him. “Knot me and get it over with and leave,” he said, tearing the blanket away. “Don’t pretend to be kind about it, it won’t make me want you. It won’t make it right, so just _fuck_ me.” He clamped both hands over the back of his neck when Genma took his hand away, leaving it hanging in the air between them. “You don’t even need to be gentle,” he whispered. “No one ever is.”

“Please put the blanket back on.” Genma reached over his back and Zabuza jerked away so quickly he fell to the wooden floor with a yelp. “That’s not the house we live in,” Genma said. “Not by a long shot. Please put clothes on.” He averted his eyes and held the blanket out, eyes averted as his shoulders bowed. “I can leave if you want me to.”

_ “Stop,”  _ Zabuza cried. He heard Naruto begin to fuss in the next room and the heat soared, making it hard to stop from darting over to comfort him. “I don’t need you to be nice. I don’t need this. I don’t need you. I don’t need kindness. Your child needs to be held.” He snatched the blanket and curled around it, uncaring about getting blood on the fabric. “Leave me  _ alone.”  _

“Is that really what you want?” Genma asked.

“I’ll do it if you’re going to just sit there,” Zabuza said. His throat was thick with tears, anxiety and the frustration of not knowing building up inside of him until it finally began to spill down his cheeks. “He needs his father.”

At long last, Genma did as asked. With a heavy sigh, he got up and left, picking up Naruto and leaving Zabuza to shake on the floor. The pacing began to quiet Zabuza as well until the alpha began to sing--not very well, but it was singing--and the quiet tears devolved into relieved sobbing.

The first heat he hadn’t been raped.

He laid there until Kakashi arrived home several hours later. Genma caught him on the way in and Zabuza listened to the hushed explanation of what had happened before Kakashi came into the room alone. “Are you okay?” was all he asked.

“My heat started,” Zabuza whispered. “It’s not natural for an alpha to refuse an omega in heat.”

Kakashi let his flak jacket fall to the bed before kneeling at Zabuza’s feet. “You do realize he and I don’t even have sex, right?”

“You’re lying.”

“We don’t.” Kakashi shrugged before falling to sit next to Zabuza, settling a gloved hand on his hip. “I mean we  _ did,  _ a few times, but it’s just...not my thing. If it gets to the point of him  _ needing  _ it, we have an arrangement with Anko.”

“It’s not natural,” Zabuza repeated. The shaking that had quieted hours ago returned with a vengeance under the other omega’s touch, and Kakashi gently unclasped his arms to tug the blanket over him. “Omegas need to breed.”

“I never actually wanted kids of my own,” Kakashi said. “Naruto was a surprise. Even more so when we decided to keep him forever.”

“Genma’s...your mate,” Zabuza said.

“It’s  _ because  _ he’s my mate,” Kakashi said. “We’re partners. Abuse isn’t part of the game here.” He scooted around to lay down so they were face to face. “Is that really so hard to understand?”

“You weren’t there,” Zabuza said. “You didn’t go through it. None of you did.”

Kakashi took his hand. “I have an idea,” he said softly. “There were a few other Kiri omegas brought here. I think you should try meeting some of them. You’re sort of a big deal to them, you know.”

“I haven’t left the house in weeks,” Zabuza said. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“For me?” Kakashi asked, and Zabuza relaxed bit by bit until Kakashi draped an arm over his stomach and pulled him close. “I can come with you, even. It’s not so bad in the sun. Let’s learn to live a little.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Feedback is _always_ appreciated and encouraged, be it via kudos/comments/bookmarks or through any of my social media below.
> 
> * [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sparkswithyou)  
> * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AryaGrace4)  
> * [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZkxAX9r) (or aryagraceling#4222 if you're not looking for another server)  
> * [AO3 Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951), a facebook group for all creators and readers.


	3. Adamant

 

_ **Konoha, present day _

Zabuza bolted awake with a gasp, fumbling for a kunai in the still unfamiliar surroundings until he caught Iruka’s face with a fist. The alpha woke with a start, grasping his nose and groaning. “The fuck was that about?” he asked.

“I’m sorry.” Zabuza’s chest heaved and Iruka pressed up with his free hand, checking in the moonlight for blood on the other. “I’m not used to--”

“Got nervous?”

Zabuza nodded and pulled his knees to his chest. Nearly a year since he’d been paired with the couple, but only in the last few weeks had he started sleeping in their bed. His wounds ran deeper than Kisame’s. “I was dreaming,” he whispered. Haku’s name echoed in his mind and he ran a hand over his face, shaking his head to clear it. “Go back to sleep. I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are.” Iruka sank down and slowly laid his head on Zabuza’s thigh, settling a hand on his knee. “Does this happen a lot?”  
“It was about my baby.”

Iruka hummed and splayed a warm hand over the small of his back. “Do you want to tell me about it? Any reason you’re having a hard time?”

Zabuza didn’t want to tell him. He didn’t want to talk about the breeding or the births or the breaking out with anyone but Aiko and Kisame, and even the therapist was a long stretch. Iruka knew, of course--he’d been given the files when Zabuza had been assigned to him--but even after a year, he still didn’t push for any more information.

There was no forcing in his house.

Theirs.

Their house.

Iruka stroked soft fingers over the bare skin before shifting to press his exhausted face to Zabuza’s chest. “Not a sharing night, huh.”

“Not for this.” He was not going to admit that in thirty seven hours it would be seven years since his life was torn apart for the first time. The dreams came every year around the anniversary of Haku’s birth. He’d come to expect them.

“I’m going to go back to bed, then, if you’re okay,” Iruka yawned. “Are you sure I can’t do anything else for you?”

Zabuza shook his head. “I need to go outside.” The moonlight was calling to him, the shadows from the trellis outside falling over Iruka’s scarred face like camouflage. “I need a smoke.”

“You should eat something too,” Iruka said. “Smells like you’re about to go into heat. There’s leftovers in the fridge.” He kissed the side of Zabuza’s shoulder before falling back to the pillow and dragging the blanket off of Zabuza’s legs. “Try making it back before sunrise.”

“Or what, I’ll turn into a monster?” Zabuza half-heartedly pushed at Iruka’s shoulder before pulling on sweatpants over his underwear. Iruka just muttered something unintelligible into the pillow in return. “They don’t call me Demon for nothing.”

“Maybe if you’d stop wearing your mask everywhere people would see past it.”

“They’d probably ask me all sorts of questions,” Zabuza said with a sigh. “I’m not ready for that.” 

Iruka handed the lighter from the dresser over. “Coming back to my bed when you’re done?”

“Don’t know.” Zabuza took the cool metal and smoothed his alpha’s hair from his face before walking to pause at the door. “I’m thinking about waiting up for Kisame. He’ll probably need one of us.”

“Available if you need me,” Iruka murmured, relaxing as Zabuza shut the door. Kisame had been out for a week on an ANBU mission to fuck knows where and while there were few better alphas than Iruka, Zabuza needed someone who knew him better. 

He needed the omega with the sharkskin blade.

The omega who, as luck would have it, was walking up the road as Zabuza settled onto the porch. “Give me one of those,” Kisame said, propping Samehada against the railing. “Don’t have all night. I’m fucking exhausted.”

“You’re being a dick,” Zabuza said, but handed a cigarette over and lit it anyway. “Need a soak? I can smell the heat on you.”

“Yeah.” Kisame took a drag before sighing and resting his head on Zabuza’s shoulder. “I was supposed to go out tomorrow again, but I’m going to need a day or two. This never-ending-mission shit is getting frustrating.”

“Said anything to the hokage about it yet?”

“Nah,” Kisame said. He leg a hand drop into Zabuza’s lap and Zabuza traced the lines on his palm, earning a quiet hum. “I figure if I can handle it, why not? We can always use the money.”

“I had the dream again.” Zabuza laced their fingers and looked into the street. “I could smell it, Kisame. It felt so close, like I could hold it in my arms again.”

“Did you tell Iruka?” Kisame asked.

“He wouldn’t understand,” Zabuza said. He exhaled a lungful of smoke and waved his hand through it, swirling it in front of the moon. “He’s never had a child.”

“Neither have I.”

“But you were used for breeding.”

Kisame nodded before moving a few steps up to rest his back against the porch post, taking in Zabuza’s face. “Thankful every day we got out before anything took,” he said. They both waved at Genma--Fox--as he strolled past their gate. “You know what he told me this week? Apparently Kakashi accidentally taught Naruto to swear.”

“Accidentally,” Zabuza snorted. “You know he did that on purpose.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” Kisame said. “Fucker knows what he’s about. Though Gen did show me a picture once of all of them in matching pajamas. Even the dogs.”

“I’m  _ so  _ shocked,” Zabuza said. He moved up to mirror Kisame on the other post and for a while, they just sat there. Kisame’s eyes began to droop around the third cigarette, Zabuza still wide awake with thoughts of Haku. “Ready to go inside?”

“Think I might just go straight to bed,” Kisame said.

“You’re bleeding.” 

Kisame reached a hand down to his pants and the fingers came away with a small smear of old blood. “So I am.”

“I told you you should’ve packed supplies,” Zabuza said. He stood and offered his hand to Kisame, who groaned as he got up. “Do you want me to tell Iruka you’re back, or are you going to sleep with him tonight?”

“I’d rather you both be there,” Kisame said. He began to shed clothes and armor in a trail to the bathroom and Zabuza picked up after him, grumbling. “At least for a while. Genma’s a good alpha, but I’d rather have my partners to hold.”

“Ah, cuddling with Gen in the big, bad woods?” Zabuza teased. Kisame glared. “Kidding. Don’t get your pants in a knot.” 

Kisame disappeared into the bathroom and Zabuza gave him a minute to clean up and start the water before he walked in to see him settling into the tub with a low groan. “Nice as the river is, nothing beats this,” Kisame said as Zabuza began to inspect him with careful fingers. “Except maybe the occasional murder. There’s some irritating fucks out there.”

“Have one in front of me.” Zabuza hissed as Kisame dumped a handful of scalding water onto his knee. “I’m  _ joking,  _ fuck.”

“I’m telling Iruka,” Kisame said, shooting back a small smile. “Boy’s being tricky when all this poor man wants to do is have a damn minute of peace.”

“Shut up,” Zabuza said. He continued searching for injuries as a laugh rumbled through Kisame’s chest, and ended up kissing along his hairline as he began to laugh with him. “Jackass,” he mumbled. “I’ll go make sure he’s not sprawled. You can do the rest yourself.” 

Iruka was, as usual, spread in a starfish position and dead to the world when he walked in. Zabuza slid under the covers beside him and maneuvered his limbs to an acceptable position, tucking him close until Kisame cracked the door open. “Still asleep?” he mouthed, and Zabuza nodded. With a saw-toothed grin, Kisame settled on the very edge of the bed, about a foot and a half from the other two men. They’d both seen it happen a few times, and every time it brought a smile to their faces. Still asleep, Iruka tilted his nose toward Kisame and sniffed. “Here, alpha,” Kisame purred. “Come get me.”

Iruka slowly migrated out from under Zabuza’s arm and into Kisame’s nestling his face into Kisame’s neck as the omega’s arm locked around his shoulders. “Every damn time,” Zabuza whispered. “Makes you wonder if  _ any  _ of the Kiri alphas cared like he does.”

“Doubt it,” Kisame said. “Not with how we were expected to produce. Not worth thinking about now.”

“Yeah.” Zabuza shuffled forward so they were pressed together and Iruka chuffed against Kisame’s neck before opening his eyes. “Guess who’s home, Iruka?”

“How long have you been in heat?” Iruka asked immediately. “Sorry I wasn’t there.”

“Not like you could go out on a mission with me anyway,” Kisame said. “Genma was with me. It was fine.” He carded the fingers of his free hand through Iruka’s hair, releasing the alpha’s scent as Iruka reached up to nibble at the scent glands just under his ear. “I’m here now.”

“How long are you staying?” Iruka asked.

Kisame nuzzled into the top of Iruka’s head and met Zabuza’s eyes. “At least for tomorrow. Might be gone the day after again.”

“Spend the day with us.” Iruka yawned and bit down on the finger that Zabuza stuck between his teeth. “Hey, get--” he spat it out and looked back with narrowed eyes as Zabuza tried not to laugh. “No fair.”

“Keep your eyes open next time,” Zabuza said. He adjusted the blanket over all of them, ignoring Iruka’s irritated muttering into Kisame’s chest in favor of settling down into the pillows. “Go to sleep. We’ll be here in the morning.”

**

Waking up in Kisame’s arms was much different than waking up under Iruka’s. The other omega was still, face lax in sleep as Zabuza inhaled the scent of saltwater from his skin. He moved closer when he realized Iruka’s weight was missing from behind him, and Kisame woke. “Zabuza,” he muttered. “Get your knee off my dick or I’m shoving you off the bed.”

Immediately, Zabuza turned in his arms so his chest was to Kisame’s back. “Here I thought you were so different,” he whined. Kisame laughed, breath ruffling the back of Zabuza’s hair. “I bet Kakashi doesn’t have to deal with this.”

“Yeah, he deals with Naruto instead,” Kisame said. “You know that.”

“You know, I thought when I moved out of their place I wouldn’t have to deal with waking up to a foot in my face anymore,” Zabuza said. “Wrong. Though I guess it isn’t a kid with a shitty diaper this time.” He tucked his hands below his chin as Kisame rubbed up against him. “Do you have an assigned mission tomorrow?”

“Not that I know of.”

“They want me to escort a bridge builder out to the Land of Waves,” Zabuza said. “You should come with me. Not sure why he needs ANBU protection, but if you’re free…”

“As long as he’s willing to pay me,” Kisame said. “Can’t be too much work, and if he’s paying ANBU rates, why not?”

Zabuza nodded into the pillow and looked back at the sound of the door opening. “Made you food,” Iruka said, setting a bowl of fruit on the nightstand. “How are you feeling?”  
“About as good as can be expected from heat,” Kisame said.

“Tired,” Zabuza said.

Iruka settled beside them and draped himself across their bodies. “Shouldn’t have been up all night without me, then,” he said with a melodramatic sigh. “I had to get up and watch you sleep all by my lonesome.”

Kisame leaned over Zabuza to kiss Iruka’s cheek before getting up and grabbing an orange slice. “Tell your dad to quit sending me out so often, then,” he said. Zabuza motioned for a piece of fruit and Kisame handed over a piece of apple as Iruka sighed. “I mean, I know I’m good, but I miss my family. I’m barely home.”

Zabuza snuggled closer to Iruka and held a hand out for another slice. “I asked him to go on the Waves mission with me,” he told Iruka. 

“Lonely,” Iruka said again, and both omegas laughed. “How I survive, I have no idea…”

“Please, you cuddle with Kakashi when we’re away,” Zabuza said, waving a hand. “You’re not going to die of touch starvation.”

“Mmph.” Iruka pulled Kisame down so he was pressed between the two of them. “Guess you’ll just have to hold me extra hard when you’re both off together next.” Both put a hand on him--Kisame on his hip, Zabuza over his chest--and he sighed contentedly as Zabuza moved the hair away from the back of his neck to kiss it. “Yeah, just like that, Zabuza.”

The scent of Iruka’s arousal crashed down around Zabuza like a freezing rain.

“I’m not the one deep in heat,” he said, scrambling off the bed. “I’m not teasing you. Kisame needs you more.” He bit down on a finger as he retreated to the kitchen, doing his best not to tear at his nails until Iruka came out a few seconds later. “Please don’t touch me.”

“I wasn’t asking for sex,” Iruka said quietly, leaning with his back against the island. “You know I wouldn’t do that to you, Zabuza. I know it’s not something you want.”

“I didn’t,” Zabuza said roughly. Iruka’s hand slid across the counter with palm up, a silent offering of peace as Kisame peered out from the bedroom. Zabuza hesitated before pressing their skin together and sighing. “I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t want it either,” Kisame said as he padded out with a blanket over his shoulders. He stood on Zabuza’s other side, leaning against him. “We’re not forcing you. It’s okay.”

Zabuza’s fingers tightened in Iruka’s as the alpha spoke. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “It’s how you feel. How you work. It’s you.”

Kisame moved away to rummage through the freezer, groaning in relief when he found an ice pack to settle over the back of his neck. “So this Wave mission,” he said, trying to break the tension. “You ready?”

Iruka shuffled around the corner of the island to rest his head on Zabuza’s shoulder, unbound hair tickling his chest. “Might be good for you to get out of the village,” he said. “You haven’t gone out in a while. Get some wind under your wings, sun on your skin. I know you haven’t been doing too well.”

“Okay.”

Kisame grinned as he moved to slide an arm around Zabuza’s waist, tugging him away from Iruka and earning himself an irritated huff. “You’ve gotten him this whole last week, fuck off. I missed him.”

“Rude,” Iruka said. Zabuza hesitantly put an arm around his shoulders and the three of them stood in the pooling sunlight for several minutes before Kisame announced he was going back to bed.

“You insisted that was what we were doing,” he said to Iruka, “so I’m just making good on that. Come with me.” He tugged Zabuza, who in turn tugged Iruka toward the bedroom. “We get a day. Come love me.”

“Don’t need a specific day for that,” Iruka said.

“Less prone to telling you on demand, though,” Zabuza said. Kisame rolled his eyes and flopped onto the bed, Iruka close behind him as they both burrowed into the comforter. “Hey, make some room.” 

Kisame rolled over onto Iruka’s stomach and Iruka groaned, breath nearly knocked out of him under the omega’s weight. “Don’t you dare say I’m getting big,” Kisame said.

“I was going to say broad,” Iruka rasped. “Much better than when you first got here.”

Zabuza buried his face in the pillow and inhaled deeply, the stirrings of heat beginning low in his belly. “Maybe we shouldn’t go tomorrow.”

“Go,” Iruka urged. He and Kisame looked over, meeting Zabuza’s anxious eyes with nothing but kindness. “You can do it, I promise. Remember Aiko said to work on expanding your horizons? You can’t stay in the village forever, baby.”

“And I’ll be there,” Kisame said. “Come.” He held out a hand, and Zabuza gripped it hard. “We’ll do it together, Zabuza. As a family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Feedback is _always_ appreciated and encouraged, be it via kudos/comments/bookmarks or through any of my social media below.
> 
> * [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sparkswithyou)  
> * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AryaGrace4)  
> * [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZkxAX9r) (or aryagraceling#4222 if you're not looking for another server)  
> * [AO3 Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951), a facebook group for all creators and readers.


	4. Ghosts

Kisame began sniffing around Iruka near three o’clock. Zabuza ignored it at first, instead rolling over and burying his face to block out the scent of arousal and need permeating the room. When Iruka’s hand fell across his stomach he jerked backwards into the alpha’s chest. “Iruka,” he warned. Kisame laid a hand over Iruka’s, plea evident without needing to say a single word. “I see,” he said softly as he sat up. “Don’t, please,” he said as Iruka reached for his shoulder. “I’ll give you two some time.”

“Sorry,” Kisame said.

“It’s fine,” Zabuza said. He rolled out of bed and tugged on pants and a shirt, uncaring his hair was sticking in every direction. Not much different than normal, anyway. “You two have a...good time.” He couldn’t imagine it, didn’t want to, but he wasn’t going to keep them from their business because he was different. Was it painful, knowing he was an omega almost useless to his alpha?

Yes.

Wasn’t much he could do to change it.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked toward Kakashi’s house, nodding to the passersby until he passed the gates of the Hatake compound. The sound of glass breaking and Genma’s voice raised in a yell greeted him and he nearly turned around before Naruto tried running out the door and past him to the street. “Get back here!” Genma said, coming out with a plate shard in hand.

“Looking for this?” Zabuza caught and held Naruto’s shirt by the collar as he walked him up the path, dodging fists as the boy tried to fight him off. “What’d he do this time?”

“Running inside and knocked a plate off the counter trying to sneak food,” Genma said, crossing his arms and staring down at Naruto. “I told you you can wait until supper.”

“I’m hungry  _ now,  _ though!” Naruto said. He wrenched out of Zabuza’s hold to hug his leg, little arms crushing him until Genma sighed and invited both inside. 

“Is there something I can do for you?” he asked.

“Feed me,” Naruto said.

Zabuza clamped a hand on his head and pushed him to the couch, careful not to be too hard. “I was looking for Kakashi, actually,” he said. While the other alpha didn’t terrify him as he had when he first got to Konoha, he still wasn’t the  _ preferred _ partner. He didn’t need another alpha to sit by, he needed Kakashi. “Is he around?”

“He needed some peace and quiet,” Genma said. “I don’t know where he fuc-uh, where he went.”

Naruto got off the couch and was dragging on Zabuza’s hand now, fingers digging into the scarred palm to pull him toward the cushions. “Sit with me,” he whined. “Daddy won’t play and he yelled at me. And papa’s gone too. You like to play. Did I show you my new book yet?”

“Zabuza doesn’t play with naughty boys,” Genma said, pointing down the hall to Naruto’s room. “Maybe if you sit nicely on your bed for fifteen minutes he’ll come read to you.” He turned pleading eyes to Zabuza--it was a miracle the two weren’t actually related, because their begging faces were eerily alike--until Zabuza shrugged.

“Your dad’s right,” he said. He knelt to Naruto’s eye level and pointed along with Genma. “Wait nicely and I’ll come tuck you in for a nap.”

“I don’t  _ wanna  _ nap!” Naruto’s lip began to tremble and his eyes filled until Zabuza pointed again. “You promise?” he asked around a sniff, wiping his nose on a tattered sleeve. “Can we read the new one?”

“Room,” Genma ordered. 

“I promise,” Zabuza said, and Naruto retreated down the hall to shut the door and do a very melodramatic flop on the bed, if the squeaking springs were anything to go by. “Peace and quiet indeed,” he mused. It was always awkward being alone with Genma and today was no exception, the alpha’s irritated scent setting his nerves on edge and causing every instinct to scream ‘run.’ “Um, do you have any idea if he’s planning on being home soon?”

Glass tinkled as Genma swept up the shards and put them in the garbage. “I have no idea. For someone who wanted a  _ fucking--”  _ He paused, fist balling above the counter until he looked back to see Zabuza taking several steps back-- “I’m sorry.” The hand fell to the granite, limp, and he motioned Zabuza over. “I’m still exhausted from the mission and Kakashi leaving in the middle of an insane day is just...irritating.”

“I can go…”

“You volunteered for reading duty, you’re staying.” Genma looked over with a sad smile as Zabuza leaned against the counter. “Wanted someone to keep you company while the other two, uh...”

“Yeah,” Zabuza muttered. “I don’t care if they do it, I just don’t want to hear it, you know?”

“Can I help?” Genma asked.

Zabuza shook his head. “You’re busy enough.” 

“All right.” The pair was silent as Genma continued preparing dinner, Zabuza eventually sitting at the kitchen table he’d eaten so many meals at himself. Sometimes he missed the old house, missed waking up and watching the sunrise perched in the tree out back. Iruka’s house was home, but Kakashi’s had also become a place of peace.

Well,  _ had,  _ until Naruto hit the terrible toddler years. 

“Zabuza!” the boy’s voice drifted from down the hall. “Come read to me.”

Both men looked at the clock, and Genma lifted his knife toward the room. “Fourteen minutes is good enough, go,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m not dealing with another tantrum tonight.”

Zabuza didn’t hesitate before going and easing Naruto’s door open. The kid’s face was red, shirt sleeve a little wet from where he’d obviously continued crying. “Why were you being naughty?” he asked, and Naruto shook his head. “Silence isn’t an answer, Naruto.”

“Nobody wanted to let me join their games today,” Naruto said, scooting back against the wall and burying his face in his knees. “And then daddy wouldn’t let me have a snack, and papa was ignoring me too.”

“Show me your book, kid,” Zabuza said. 

Naruto scrambled off to the bookshelf on the other side of the room and climbed into Zabuza’s lap with a picture book that seemed to be about dogs. It didn’t have many words, which Zabuza was thankful for--the last thing he needed right now was to have to think too hard. “Papa told me it was like Pakkun and Bull and Uhei and Bisuke and--” Naruto took a deep breath, keeping it in when Zabuza put a finger to his lips.

“Ninken,” he said, and Naruto nodded. “So it’s about the ninja hounds?”

“And how great they are,” Naruto said solemnly. 

“I see.” Zabuza groaned and pushed him off to reposition them on the bed, his back against the wall with his arms around Naruto and the book in their laps. “Well, we’ll just have to go on adventures, won’t we?” Naruto nodded eagerly, and Zabuza began to read. It was tough going even still, as reading had always been a foreign thing. Why would a breeder need to read, after all? Kakashi had taught him, Genma stepping in when the other omega got frustrated at Zabuza’s lack of progress. He still wasn’t very fast but it was enough to keep Naruto entertained long enough for Genma’s scent to smooth back into its usual cedar. “And in the end, they lived--”

“Happily ever after!” Naruto exclaimed with a clap. “I know that part!”

“So you do,” Zabuza rumbled. The door opened and they looked up to see Genma peering in. “See, look. Daddy came back.”

“Has he listened well?” Genma asked softly.

“Real good,” Naruto said, clutching Zabuza’s arm.

Zabuza nodded in agreement. “We read about a dog who went to the sea,” he said. “But he came back when he realized how much the pack missed him.”

Naruto squirmed out of his lap and padded over to Genma, face downcast as he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s knees. “I don’t have a pack,” he said. “No one likes me.”

“Who says that?” Genma asked. He knelt down and took Naruto’s hands in his, holding them up to his face in a mockery of peek-a-boo before kissing the chubby palms. “I think...you have me, and papa, and Zabuza, and loads of other people in your pack. We all love you.”

“But none of the other kids do.” Zabuza’s only warning was a slight sniff before the real tears came, Naruto pitching forward to cry into Genma’s chest. His little fists balled in the alpha’s shirt and Genma’s arms encircled him, holding the boy tight as Genma looked questioningly at Zabuza. 

“Bullied?” Zabuza mouthed, shrugging as he set the book to the side. He got up and pulled the covers back so Genma could set Naruto down in bed. “We  _ are  _ your pack,” he told the child. “No matter what the nasty kids say or do.”

“B-but you guys ar-are so old,” Naruto sniffled, pulling the blanket over his face as Genma’s face fell. “I want my  _ own _ friends.”

“How about we talk more about it tonight, okay?” Genma asked. He sat down and smoothed the bit of blond hair escaping the fabric. “We can take a nap for now and wait for papa to get back so we can tell him all about it. Zabuza--” he looked questioningly to the omega.

“Needs to go,” Zabuza finished for him, much to Genma’s relief. “I have things to do before a mission tomorrow.”

Naruto’s hand reached out by Genma’s hip, grabbing for Zabuza’s. “I wanna read again,” he said. “Now.”

Zabuza looked to Genma, who shrugged. “Sorry, kid,” he said. “I really do have things to do.”

“We’ll see him later, Naruto,” Genma said. Naruto’s cries grew louder until Zabuza simply apologized silently and left at Genma’s request. The walk back home was quicker, driven by the need to get back to his partners and get the crying out of his head. Genma always told him he’d make an excellent father but if he couldn’t handle one crying jag, who was he to say he could handle dozens?

Kisame was outside smoking when he walked up the path. “You smell,” Zabuza said, wrinkling his nose at the scent of sweat and sex still radiating from the blue skin.

“Haven’t showered yet,” Kisame grunted. “Go to Kakashi’s?”

“Wasn’t home. Naruto’s having a day.” 

“I see,” Kisame said.

Zabuza patted his head as he walked by and into the house, instantly picking up on Iruka humming from the bathroom. “I’m home,” he said, and Iruka’s head poked out with a smile.

“Welcome back,” he said. He backed out fully and held his arms out, lowering them at Zabuza’s head shake. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine, just…”

“Ah,” Iruka said. Kisame padded back in and warned Zabuza before wrapping around him from behind. Iruka came out to begin dinner and allowed them their space. “Find Kakashi?”

“Found a very upset Naruto and Genma,” Zabuza said. He broke Kisame’s hold to sit down at the table and watched as the other two nuzzled together before Kisame followed him. “Poor boy’s getting bullied. Might have to crack heads together.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him while you two are out,” Iruka said as he smiled over. “Now. Who’s hungry?”

**

“You know I hate smelling it on you,” Zabuza griped as he and Kisame walked out of the village gates. “I don’t know why you couldn’t shower before I got back. I was gone for quite a while.”

Kisame walked ahead, twirling Samehada in both hands as he turned to face Zabuza. “I’m clean now. Come on, Zabuza, it’s not like it’s a huge deal.”

“Hmm.” Zabuza caught up with him and they journeyed quietly until they reached the small village where the bridge builder was residing. “Tazuna?” he said when they knocked on his door. 

“Zabuza and Kisame, I assume?”

“That’s us,” Kisame said. “Let’s go, we don’t have all day.”

He was  _ old,  _ Tazuna was, and Zabuza tired of the complaints of weary bones and aching joints quicker than he thought he would. They set up camp for the night and somehow the next morning was even worse, the old builder prattling on about everything and nothing under the blazing sun. “You do it,” he eventually growled at Kisame. “I’m going ahead. You’re so much more social than I am.”

It was a quiet journey after that. 

“Almost there,” Kisame said, jogging up behind him. “Sort of shitty to take the old man’s money for such an easy journey. And for two of us, even. Hey, Tazuna!”

“Yeah?” the man called.

“The fuck you need us for? We didn’t run into shit,” Kisame said. “Seems like an overreaction.”

“Just you wait,” Tazuna said. “We’re not there yet.” He pointed up the road to where a half erected bridge jutted over the river, its bones towering over the water. “Wait a mile. They’ll show up eventually, they always do.”

Zabuza could pinpoint the moment the air around them turned sour. The scent of the forest was eclipsed by... _ his,  _ it almost smelled like, along with cherries and the sweet scent of honey. It was marred by the bitter tang of dark intent and he pulled his sword from his back, Kisame falling into place with Tazuna trapped between them. “Tazuna?” he asked questioningly when mist began to gather.

“Gato,” the older man said, “and everyone who comes with him. I’m not paying you for nothing. No one knows when they’ll come for you but when they do, it’s enough to strike fear into the strongest heart. He has...insane people working for him. Terrifying, really.”

“Careful,” Kisame growled as they moved forward. “That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, Tazuna.”

“If they haven’t attacked yet, that’s a good sign. You’re ANBU, you can handle it.”

Zabuza scoffed before taking another lungful of the air around them. It was at once familiar and different than he remembered. Sullied.  _ Wrong.  _ “Move,” he said. “Keep going.” Every rustle from the roadside had him jumping and every stone under his foot was a boulder set to trip him as they walked. “There’s three,” he said as he let his chakra unfurl. “Two large and one small.”

They hit the crossing with no issue. The presence was stifling now, clawing its way down Zabuza’s throat as his pulse began to race. Kisame nearly tripped him as they switched places, both sets of eyes piercing the mist. “I’ve got the front,” Kisame said. 

“I don’t trust it,” Zabuza muttered. “Feels like mine.”

“Yours?” Tazuna asked.

“Shut up.” Zabuza straightened as a shadow darted ahead, gripped his sword harder as he settled into a defensive stance. “Come out!” he shouted. “Face us like a man, you little shit.” He deflected the senbon that flew at him, paired with a soft laugh. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

“You can go ahead this time,” a voice whispered. “Just remember us, Tazuna. We’re waiting.” The mist cleared enough to reveal a child’s form at the end of the bridge, hair blowing in the gentle breeze over the porcelain on their face. “We’ll be here. Watching.”

Zabuza’s eyes widened and he froze when the scent sorted itself.  _ Child _ . “Wait,” he whispered, reaching a hand forward as the figure disappeared. “No, wait,  _ wait!”  _ Duty forgotten, he darted to the edge of the bridge and spun around. “Come back!” Kisame’s hand landed on his shoulder and he shoved it off as he took a step forward.  _ “Haku! _ Answer me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Feedback is _always_ appreciated and encouraged, be it via kudos/comments/bookmarks or through any of my social media below.
> 
> * [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sparkswithyou)  
> * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AryaGrace4)  
> * [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZkxAX9r) (or aryagraceling#4222 if you're not looking for another server)  
> * [AO3 Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951), a facebook group for all creators and readers.


End file.
